The extension still sets the floor
Across almost every market, .com remains the default assumption. People type it without thinking, email clients autocomplete it, and partners rarely ask for clarification. That reliability is why comparable names on other extensions typically trade at a fraction of the .com price.
For a business that expects to introduce itself in person, on the phone and in print, an extension that needs explaining is a recurring tax on every conversation.
Length, spelling and the dictation test
The practical test is simple: can the name be said once over a poor telephone line and typed correctly by the person listening? Hyphens, digits, doubled letters and ambiguous homophones all fail that test and reduce value.
Shorter is generally better, but coherence matters more than character count. A clean two-word name is worth more than a shorter string nobody can spell.
Commercial fit and scarcity
Value concentrates where a name suits a category that can afford it. Advisory, finance, luxury, real estate and professional services all price a memorable address as a marketing asset rather than an expense.
Inventory only moves one way. Clean short .com names are not created any more, so each acquisition permanently removes one from the market — which is why good names rarely become cheaper with time.